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Second month - Taylor

2/5/2019

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Troyes, France II

I'm having a good time in France. 2 months have passed already. A week after I wrote my first blog, I started the Easter holidays which lasted 2 weeks. The first 5 days I didn't do much. I went shopping and walking. On the Friday my family brought me to their grandparents' house 3 hours away from Troyes. We once again went shopping and on the Sunday my host parents brought us to a kite festival in Berck and it was very pretty, especially because it was on a beach and I hadn't seen the sea for 2 months.

The next day we left her grandfather's house to go to Disneyland. I really loved it. It was better than I had imagined. I went on nearly every ride. We then walked around Disneyland taking pictures and going into shops for souvenirs. That day I was exhausted so I went to sleep early.

On the Tuesday we went to the palace of Versailles and it was beautiful. We had to wait three and a half hours to get it but it was definitely worth it. I love history so listening to the person talk about the castle was very interesting to me. I was amazed at how beautiful and how much detail was put into every room.

Later that day we stayed at her cousin's house. The last day we went to Paris and saw the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe but unfortunately we couldn't go see the Cathedral of Notre Dame.

When we got home I rested for the 4 days.

School is very good here. I think after being here, it's going to be hard for me to go back. My favourite class is probably English because I get to speak English.

My French has improved a lot but I'm not fluent. I do French workbooks everyday to try to get better.

I've gotten comfortable around my family now. At the start I was shy but now I'm more confident around them. My correspondent is nice and helps me with my French.

Today we went to visit Voltaire's castle with our class and it was very nice. Next Thursday is the carnival here, so Caragh and I are going to wear something green to school and hold an Irish flag.

I only have 4 weeks left and I know they're going to go by very fast so I'm a bit sad but I'm also excited to get to see my family and friends and to start summer!
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Second month - Caragh

2/5/2019

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Hi, this is Caragh again here to update on my second month in France. I feel much more relaxed living here now as I have gotten used to French culture and my schedule.
I think my French has definitely improved. I’m definitely not fluent, but I have a much better understanding and broader vocabulary. I’ve also noticed it’s takes me less time to think about what I want to say now than when I first arrived. I thought coming here that hour long classes would be a nightmare but I actually think it is better as it means less classes and also allows the teacher to take their time teaching the lesson and not trying to cram a whole lesson into a short space of time. For me personally I need time to take everything in so when the teacher is talking and writing quickly I won’t remember it after, so I find it more beneficial when the teacher can take their time. The school is so much bigger to the one at home so that was one big struggle at the start. One thing I really like is the fact that if you don’t have classes or have a free class you’re not required to be in the school and you can go wherever you want. There is no assembly, because everyone starts and ends at different times.

Although I have learned a lot about French culture and language, being here has allowed me to learn about so many international cultures because there are so many exchange students. I have met people from Japan, Austria, Hong Kong, Italy, Brazil, Mexico and more. I think it’s so interesting to learn about different cultures and see so much diversity. Everyone here loves to point out how white I am so I trying to explain by saying I’m from the “whitest place on earth”. Which is usually followed by laughs and then an immediate question of “are you racist” or “do you not like diversity” which I respond by saying no repeatedly and aggressively shaking my head. So I really like being here and meeting people from different parts of the world with different cultures. However in doing this I’ve realized how sad it is that in Ireland most people can’t speak Irish. Being here and seeing people so proud of their culture and eager to learn about others brought me to that realization. All exchange students I met can speak their native language, English and now are learning French. And while French people are very impressed with my story about Liam being “ar mhuin na muice” because Áine can go to the disco, it’s not enough to keep the language alive. It’s made me motivated to improve my Irish because no one else in the world can speak it and while I thought that was a bad thing, it’s actually really good because it’s something new you can teach people. 

Overall this is the best experience I’ve ever had. I’m learning so much about other people and I’m learning to be more independent and self-reliant. I’m going to try enjoy my last month as much as possible. Until next month, thank you for reading.

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First month in France - Taylor

2/5/2019

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Troyes, France

Hello my name's Taylor and I'm participating in an Erasmus three month exchange program with another girl named Caragh.

The 28th of February I was more excited than nervous. I woke up early and finished packing my suitcase. I got to the airport at 9am and met Caragh and her mom. We had breakfast and said goodbye to our parents. I was a little bit sad but also happy. The plane was 2 hours late so we got to Troyes at around 8pm. I remember being very nervous to meet the family. When I got home I played a game with them, had dinner and went to bed.

I prefer this school than our school in Ireland. Here people are very kind and chatty. In class I don't understand a lot. My favourite class is probably English and my least favourite is History or French because I really don't know what the teachers are saying. Caragh and I spend a lot of time in the library. There we do our homework, read books and listen to music. In Ireland there are more subjects than at this school, for example Art or Home Economics. Here people can leave the school without there parents' permission if they have a free class or if the teachers out.

The family I'm staying with are very nice. I get on very well with everyone. My correspondent, Erine, has 3 younger siblings. Erine's level of English is okay. My French has definitely improved. I do think French families are stricter than Irish families. I usually go to bed at around half 9 because I'm tired most of the time.

Since I've been here I have gone ice skating, roller skating, swimming and babysitting. I've gone shopping in Troyes and to the fun fair.

Some differences I've seen are basically all to do with food. They pour milk or crème fraîche in their soup or they dip their pastries in their juices. Sometimes they have crisps for dinner.

So far my experience in Troyes has been amazing and I hope it stays that way.
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First month in France - Caragh

21/3/2019

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Hi, my name is Caragh and I recently took part in an exchange to France. I will be here for three months. I’ve been asked to write a blog post for each month I am here. 
I came on the 28th of February. My host family is very nice. They don’t have any English and, while it can get confusing, I’m glad they don’t because I have to talk in French the whole time which has helped me improve.

The school here is very big compared to the one at home. The classes are very quiet compared to the ones at home as well. The teachers are a bit more strict but are very nice and helpful. The classes are also a lot smaller. Here you choose a subject area to focus on; Literature, Science or Economics, and are then put in a class. This class, however, gets split into smaller groups for certain subjects. For example the whole class is in Geography-History but is split into a small group for English.

I really like going to school here and I can feel my French has improved a little bit already.


That is all I have to say for now. Thanks for reading.

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    Feb - May 2019

    Two students from Scoil Phobail Bhéara are spending 3 months in France at our partner school, Lycée Chrestien de Troyes. Track their adventure here!   

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